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Recently, I spoke at the Jaffrey, NH, Chamber of Commerce to explain how companies might identify and tell their individual marketing stories. Everyone has a unique story to share with and draw in customers. For example:

How you started and why you continue your business

How you do what you do (your customers will be fascinated about industry information that you consider common knowledge)

Helpful tips from you or your staff

Success stories and testimonials from your customers

Industry standards you meet or awards you have won.

In telling these marketing stories, you want to apply some of the techniques that apply to any good story. The first technique is appealing to the senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.

As I explained to the folks at the Jaffrey Chamber, every landscaper might do exactly the same work. Every landscaper is going to promise excellent customer service on his or her website. But what if the landscaper instead wrote about the relaxing feeling of returning home to find the lawn taken care of or the wonderful smell of new cut grass or how beautiful a home looks with an array of cut flowers from its own garden? By incorporating feelings and sensations into the website, the landscaper draws customers into the marketing story and invites them to picture themselves enjoying all the benefits that a landscaping business offers. More importantly, unlike “great customer service,” the story differentiates that landscaping business from every other landscaping business.

Every good story also shows wherever possible, instead of telling. Photographs, line drawings, video and graphics are not only fun (eye candy!) but, properly chosen, they tell your marketing story before you write a word. In addition, they help to brand you through the use of color and design.